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New Student Boater (Nearly)


ASupertramp

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Hello!
 

Just a quick post to introduce myself and say hello. I have been lurking for a while, reading a number of threads. I’ve just had an offer on a narrowboat accepted, subject to survey, which will hopefully be arranged in the coming weeks. 
I’m fairly new to narrowboats, though my grandad had a few and a cruiser. I’ll be living aboard while studying at University so I’ll likely have lots of questions (apologies in advance). 
 

The boat is 60ft with two cabins, I plan on turning the back one into a study and rearranging the corridor bathroom into a walk through. 
 

Used to small spaces as I spent 12 months in my 1971 VW bus so 60ft feels like a mansion!
 

Looking forward to chatting with you all soon. 

  • Greenie 3
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Welcome to CWDF. You must be a super tramp indeed if, as a student, you can buy a 60-foot narrowboat. 

Thinking back, my university had a canal going through its campus, I wish I'd been able to live on a boat there instead of a bed-sit four miles away!

Don't apologise for asking questions: if you don't ask, you don't learn. You'll find that many people on here are knowledgeable about various aspects of boats and boating, that they will be pleased to share that knowledge, and that often they won't agree with each other.

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Where are you studying? I lived aboard in my final year at Loughborough,  and had a fantastic time. Feel free to ask anything inc tips on how to keep rowdy friends off when you're trying to sleep. 

 

I found university halls thoroughly bad, so I think you've made the right move

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I lived on a narrowboat while studying full time for a degree and then on a widebeam for several more years while doing my PhD. Students aren't all stereotypical pot noodle eating, cheapskates who can't afford to buy a boat. I was a mature student who'd worked for 15 years prior to going into higher education. 

Edited by blackrose
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Thank you all for the welcome. 
I am indeed a ‘mature student’ at the grand old age of 28. Thanks to this forum I have gathered a rough idea of monthly costs and even at the upper end of the estimate, it’s only the equivalent of renting a room in someone’s house round here. 
 

On 06/01/2020 at 13:46, Athy said:

Welcome to CWDF. You must be a super tramp indeed if, as a student, you can buy a 60-foot narrowboat. 

Thinking back, my university had a canal going through its campus, I wish I'd been able to live on a boat there instead of a bed-sit four miles away!

Don't apologise for asking questions: if you don't ask, you don't learn. You'll find that many people on here are knowledgeable about various aspects of boats and boating, that they will be pleased to share that knowledge, and that often they won't agree with each other.

Thank you. I tried the bed sit in my first year (now in my second) and I can honestly say, never again!
 

On 06/01/2020 at 21:39, harrybsmith said:

Where are you studying? I lived aboard in my final year at Loughborough,  and had a fantastic time. Feel free to ask anything inc tips on how to keep rowdy friends off when you're trying to sleep. 

 

I found university halls thoroughly bad, so I think you've made the right move

I’m studying Medicine and agree, halls are definitely not for me. 
 

On 06/01/2020 at 23:53, blackrose said:

I lived on a narrowboat while studying full time for a degree and then on a widebeam for several more years while doing my PhD. Students aren't all stereotypical pot noodle eating, cheapskates who can't afford to buy a boat. I was a mature student who'd worked for 15 years prior to going into higher education. 

I had a full time job prior to starting the course and then found myself back on a student budget and looking at student accommodation, so a boat felt like the right thing to do. No pot noodle round here!
 

I’m having the survey around the end of the month, just waiting for a space in the dry dock. Any tips for going through a survey? I plan on being there on the day but leaving the surveyor to it until the end. 

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5 hours ago, ASupertramp said:

 

I’m having the survey around the end of the month, just waiting for a space in the dry dock. Any tips for going through a survey? I plan on being there on the day but leaving the surveyor to it until the end. 

 

Plan on being with the surveyor for the entire thing if he's ok with it, but stand back or course and let him do his job. You're paying for the service you may as well try to learn something. Whatever you do don't leave the vendor and surveyor together for any length of time.

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As said, be there when the survey is carried out, you are paying a lot of money for it. I followed my surveyor around as he was doing the surveys. He pointed out out problems to me as we went. I turned down two boats, which cost something in the region of £1400 for the two surveys, but that was a LOT cheaper than doing the work that would have been required to bring those boats up to an acceptable standard. I would also suggest that you find out what things the surveyor is looking for and what the consequences are if things are not up to scratch, of course you may already know about these things.

 

Surveys are critically important when buying a boat. They are also very expensive. Ulitimately your pocket could be hit badly if you have a bad survey or you accept a boat that doesn't come up to par. It could, in extreme circumstances I will admit, cost you your life. Do not entertain the people on here who waffle on about buying boats without a survey. They are either very knowledgeable and know what to look for thenselves or they are waffling.

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I can't see whether you have stated where you will be studying, and that might be useful to know as someone here may be able to advise on moorings and their suitablity.
Have you considered what you will do if there are no permanent moorings available and you will have to "continuously cruise" in line with CaRT guidelines?

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1 hour ago, Peter X said:

Athy,

It would appear that...

Asupertamp might be a student of 1970s music.

You just might have been at Huddersfield.... it has the HNC which I first went on in June/July 2019. There are other canals close to universities etc.

I recently sold my narrowboat to two lads who are at Huddersfield Uni.A major plus point for them was the fact that the boat had a mooring already at Aspley Wharf.

They seem quite happy with the boat in that they smile and say hello whenever I see them,rather than grabbing me by the lapels saying "about this boat you sold us"

It does hurt a bit when it goes chugging past,but I don't liveaboard and my family have no interest in boating ,I only go off for odd weekends ,so the boat was wasted on me.

Why would a medical student want to study 1970s music?

Can't think of any,apart from that silly birdie song.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Once again, thank you for the responses. I’ve now changed my settings to notify me by email when I receive a response! 
 

Survey was yesterday. All went well and nothing unexpected. The boat had a previous survey 18 months ago so just wanted to make sure nothing had changed in the meantime. 
 

I spent the day mostly watching, asking questions when appropriate. Called the owner shortly after and stated I was happy to proceed with the sale. 

 

Boat should be in my ownership next week! As it’s currently in the dry dock, I’m getting it blacked and a couple of survey recommendations completed. 
 

I’m at Warwick University so plenty of canal around. 
 

(FYI, Supertramp mostly inspired by the autobiography of a supertramp, though I also like the music and 70s music in general). 
 

 

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Warwick is a good University, it sort of came from nowhere and then zoomed rapidly upwards. Its a proper campus place which helps. Where are you going to keep the boat?  There is a fair bit of canal if you plan to CC but Hatton is quite hard work.

 

Think carefully about the walk-through bathroom, they have a number of disadvantages and its not a room were you normally spend a lot of time in so a little one is fine.

 

...........Dave

 

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5 minutes ago, dmr said:

Warwick is a good University, it sort of came from nowhere and then zoomed rapidly upwards. Its a proper campus place which helps. Where are you going to keep the boat?  There is a fair bit of canal if you plan to CC but Hatton is quite hard work.

 

Think carefully about the walk-through bathroom, they have a number of disadvantages and its not a room were you normally spend a lot of time in so a little one is fine.

 

...........Dave

 

Hi Dave!
Going to be keeping the boat in Coventry initially and then as placements dictate across Warwickshire. I actually spend very little time on campus. 

The current bathroom has a separate shower and toilet area, with the shower effectively being in the back cabin so definitely needs to change. I quite like the walkthrough option as I can close off the rear end of the boat. Bedroom sits next to kitchen, then lounge. 
Not set in stone and open to ideas!

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5 minutes ago, ASupertramp said:

Hi Dave!
Going to be keeping the boat in Coventry initially and then as placements dictate across Warwickshire. I actually spend very little time on campus. 

The current bathroom has a separate shower and toilet area, with the shower effectively being in the back cabin so definitely needs to change. I quite like the walkthrough option as I can close off the rear end of the boat. Bedroom sits next to kitchen, then lounge. 
Not set in stone and open to ideas!

 

Problems occur if you have friends to stay (depending on how friendly they are), as anybody using the bathroom effectively blocks passage through the boat. Try and live with what you have for a little while as your ideas will likely change/evolve as you spend more time living on a boat.

 

................Dave

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3 hours ago, ASupertramp said:


 

(FYI, Supertramp mostly inspired by the autobiography of a supertramp, though I also like the music and 70s music in general). 
 

 

 

Brilliant!  WH Davies was one of my favourite authors and the Autobiography a classic book.   I chose it as a school prize over 60 years ago, and still have it on the shelves.  Enjoy the boat.

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On 21/01/2020 at 17:24, Mad Harold said:

Why would a medical student want to study 1970s music?

Can't think of any,apart from that silly birdie song.

 

Oh how sad you know so little about 70s music ?

 

Have you never heard of The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Yes, Caravan, Wishbone Ash? 

 

A whole new paradigm in music, world famous amongst music fans back in the 70s. 

 

 

 

 

  • Greenie 1
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10 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

Oh how sad you know so little about 70s music ?

 

Have you never heard of The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Yes, Caravan, Wishbone Ash? 

 

A whole new paradigm in music, world famous amongst music fans back in the 70s. 

 

 

 

 

The best music era, i still listen to it everyday.

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1 minute ago, Mike Hurley said:

The best music era, i still listen to it everyday.

 

Yep, and I missed of so many top names from my dashed off list!

 

Cream, Traffic, Small faces/Humble Pie, Jimi Hendrix, Neil Young, Eagles, Ozric Tentacles, ELP.... and loads more still to add

 

  • Happy 1
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